9/11 dust cloud linked to pregnancy problems: Study

The remaining tower of New York's World Trade Center disolves in a cloud of dust and debris soon after the towers were hit by hijacked airliners, September 11, 2001. The pictures were made from across the Hudson River in Jersey City, New Jersey. REUTERS/Ray Stubblebine

QMI Agency

Dust from the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attack in New York may be linked to several pregnancy issues seen in women who were living in the area at the time, a new study has found.

Women who lived near the World Trade Center had a significantly higher likelihood of delivering prematurely — more than double the chance if they were in their first trimester — according to the Princeton University research.

The study also found these mothers were more likely to deliver babies with low birth weights and babies, particularly boys, who had to be admitted to neonatal intensive care after birth.

"The women who lived in neighbourhoods exposed to the 9/11 dust cloud had very different experiences than women in other parts of New York City," lead researcher Janet Currie said in a news release.

The study compared data on all births that were in utero on Sept. 11, 2001, with those babies' siblings.